Method of making motor fuel



into the catch-all Mn'rnon or Joseph .HidyJames, Pittsburgh, Pa; has... to

GMo 'roItFUa Clarence P. Byrnes, Pittsburgh, Pa; as trustee No Drawing. Application June 5, 1941, I Serial No. 396,753

Claims. 01. 196-49 One oi. the main drawbacks of the several present methods of catalytically cracking mineral oil or fractions thereof is that after once carrying out such stepand fractionating the product" to recover the portion within the gasoline range,

thelarge remainder cannot be recycled with profit The motor fuel recovery from repeating the cracking is too smallto be commercially practicable and such remainder must be-tumed of fuel oil or some cheap product. 4 g r I have discovered that such remainder from catalytic cracking can be partially oxidized, pref- Jerablyby my well known vapor-phase catalytic process; and that if the oxidized product be then line or motor fuel range. I can thus largely increase the percentage of the desired product within the gasoline or motor spiritrange, and in some cases nearly double therecovery. In carrying out my process; the crude oil or a j fraction may be cracked in, the presence 01- a ccatalyst by any of the now well known processes, such as the Houdry, the aluminum chloride; or others, andthe product fractionatedto recover the portionwithin the gasoline range. The. re

p. mainder or such portion as it "is desired to reg I, .cycle for cracking is then treate'dto partially Jcxidize itg producing a series of oxygen derivatives in the range fromyalcohols to 'oxy-acids.

3 "For such step I prefer to use my well known.

catalytic vapor-phase partial-oxidation method "wherein such portion is vaporized, mixedwith ,air or an oxygen containing gas and passed through a hot reaction zone preferably infcon tactwtih a catalyst such as'molybdenum,"'vanadium, .or uranium oxides or compounds. Sllch I process isset forth in a number-ofmypatents such as Reissue No. 18,552; No. 2,985,221} and f No."2,054,5'71; and preferably with multiple catae I lytic contacts and air. admissions as in; the'l'a-st mentioned patent. 'The exit streamiromthis partial. oxidation system may becondensed and 'j' the condensate, cracked either thermallypncata lytically; orsuch exit stream maybe --'cracked in .vapor phase by passingit through a cracking apparatus of either thermal or catalytic type. :Ii'condensed the condensate mayif desired be treated to remove acids, as for examplefby saponification or neutralization. After acid removal. the product or a distilled fraction thereof may then be cracked thermally or catalytically.

the large increase in the recovery of the lfr ac tions within the gasoline or motor spirit range. The partial oxidation step is exothermic and ofv low'cost and acts to sensitize or prepare'the I r remainder so that recycling'through a cracking, step will greatly increase the recovery of the desired fractioniu-r-l cracked by either thermal or catalyticcracklng, fractionating of the cracked'product will give a fsuflicient and satisfactory yield within :the gaso- The partial oxidation may be carried out in is the liquid phase; the crackingrn'ay be carried out. I in the liquid or vapor phase or ,both;' cracking catalysts inrecracking may be used or not as 'desired,"and if used, difierentcatalytic processes may be used in theoriginal cracking stem-and g many other changes may. be made without'ide parting from my invention, I claim: 4 p 1. In the process of makingfmotor fuel of gaso linegtype from mineral, oil, the steps comprising; cracking a portion of mineral oil to convert part thereof into gasoline-type motor-fuel, frac; tioning the product to separateioutithe lighter gasoline portion, then partially-oxidizing a, heav-. ier fraction under conditions which form ,am

terial percentage of'cxygen derivatives .oiihy'drocarbons in the range from-alcohols to oxy-acid s,

, and. recr'acking said partially oxidized 'ljieavier f fraction 'containings'aid oxygen derivatives' cf hydrocarbons to produce 'iurther amounts. of gasoline-type motor fuel. 1 2. Inthe process of making motor iuelof' gasoline type from mineral oiljthe steps comprising-I;

catalytically cracking a portion of mineral oil to convert a part thereof into gasoline-typemotor-fuel, fractioning the product. to separate out the lighter gasoline portion, 'then partiallya oxidizing a. heavier fraction under ,conditions which form amaterial percentage of oxygen derivatives of hydrocarbons in the range from 9.1- p cohols to oxy-a'cids; and recracking said partially- 3 oxidized heavier fraction containing saidp'xygen p j derivatives of hydrocarbonsQtov produce further. Y

amounts of. gasoline-typemotor fuel. I

3. In the process of makingQmotor fuel of 'gasoa line type from mineral oil, thestepsfc'omprising crackinga portion of mineral oil-. tc'convertja 1 part thereof into'fga'soline-type motor fuel,;fr'ac- I. j

. tioning the product tose'parate out the1 ;li'ghter gasoline portion, then partially-oxidizing a new;

- ier fraction 'in vapor phase under conditions.

which form a material percentage ;of 3 oxygefi'derivatives of hydrocarbons inthe rangeiiromal cohols' to oxy-acids, and recracking saidpar j tial ly-oxidized heavier fraction containing said oxygen. derivatives. of hydrocarbonsto iproduce The advantages of my invention result from 5. further amounts of gasoline-type'motoriuel= 4, In the process of making motor fuel of gaso- I line type from mineral oil, the steps comprising cracking a portion of mineral oil to convert a part thereof into'gasoline-type motor-fuel, fractioning the product to separate out the lighter gasoline portion, then partially-oxidizing a heavier fraction under conditions which form a material percentage of oxygen derivatives of hydrocarbons in the range from alcohols to'cxyacids, removing any acids therefrom, and then ing oxygen derivatives other than acids to produce further amounts of gasoline-type motor fuel.

5. In the process of making motor fuel of gasoline type from mineral oil, the steps comprising cracking a portion of mineral oil to convert a part thereof into gasoline-type motor fuel, fractioning the product to separate out the lighter gasoline portion, then partially-oxidizing a heavier fraction under conditions which form a material percentage of oxygen derivatives of hydrocarbons m the range from alcohols to oxyacids; and recracking said partially oxidized V heavier fraction in vapor phase to produce further amounts of gasoline-type motor fuel.

JOSEPH HIDY JAMES. 

